Support the Met Broadcasts

The Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcasts are the longest-running continuous classical music program in American radio history.

This season, the Met is proud to welcome a new sponsor for the Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts, The Robert K. Johnson Foundation, who carries on the legacy of Toll Brothers, supporters of the series for the past 18 years. The Met has long relied on two major sources of funding to sustain this beloved series: major sponsorship and a special Broadcast Campaign Fund that was raised by the late Beverly Sills when Texaco, after 64 years of sponsorship, dropped its funding. The Broadcast Campaign Fund, which included leadership gifts from the Annenberg Foundation and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg, and the Vincent A. Stabile Foundation, continues to need rebuilding to sustain the Met on the air, and we are appealing to everyone for help.

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Recognition & Benefits

Please show your support by making a gift today and please be as generous as you can. In appreciation for your support, we offer you the following:

$150+ Online access to encore broadcast recordings
$300+ Choice of a special Historic Broadcast CD
$1,000+ Invitation to National Broadcast Weekend at the Met
$2,500+ Recognition in Playbill and the Season Book
$25,000+ Leadership gifts receive special recognition

Your gift is very much appreciated and fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Leadership Gifts

Donors of $25,000 or more enjoy special recognition opportunities within the Opera House, depending on gift level, including a seat plaque in List Hall in the Opera House, inscription of the donor’s name on the permanent Support the Met Broadcasts Campaign plaque in the Opera House, and on air dedications in the donor’s honor. For more information, please call 1.212.870.4181.

A Proud Tradition

The Metropolitan Opera’s first-ever live radio broadcast, of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, was heard on Christmas day, 1931. Since then, there have been more than 1,800 Met broadcasts of nearly 200 different operas, and the series has won dozens of awards, including nine Peabody Awards, radio’s top honor.

The Met radio broadcasts are now heard over theThe Robert K. Johnson Foundation-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.

Radio Schedule Find a Station

Spring Weekend for National Patrons and
Met Broadcast Supporters

Spring Weekend 2023 Photos

In late March, the Met hosted a special weekend for supporters of the Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcasts with a gift of $1000 or more, featuring an exciting lineup of performances and an exclusive look into the world of the broadcasts with the radio team and Met Broadcast Ambassador Deborah Voigt.

The 2023-24 Spring Weekend for National Patrons and Met Broadcast Supporters will take place between Thursday, May 2, through Saturday, May 4, 2024.

Thursday, May 2 at 7:30PM
Blanchard Fire Shut Up in My Bones
Rogister; Renee, Moore, Green

Friday, May 3 at 7PM
Bizet Carmen—New Production
Matheuz; Pérez, Margaine, Fabiano, Green

Saturday, May 4 at 1PM
Adams El Niño—Metropolitan Opera Premiere
Alsop; Bullock, Mack, Tines, Murrah, Chung, Jurenas

Saturday, May 4 at 8PM
Puccini Madama Butterfly
Zhang; Grigorian, Asmik, DeShong, Tetelman, Meachem

For more information, please contact the Special Events office at (212).870.7492 or specialevents@metopera.org.

FAQs

What does my gift to the Met Broadcasts support?

Contributions from donors like you support many kinds of expenses related to the Met's broadcast program—which costs $7 million annually to produce—including rights and broadcast fees, fees to musicians and singers, compensation to commercial stations, and costs for satellite transmission and worldwide promotion. Overall, between 250 and 300 people are involved in any one broadcast. Every season, more than 20 performances are transmitted live to 350 stations in the U.S. and to more than 40 countries on five continents.
Do I receive any benefits for my gift to the Support the Met Broadcasts Campaign? Will a campaign gift upgrade my current Met membership?

Contributions through Metropolitan Opera Patron or Metropolitan Opera Guild memberships support the company's annual operations—without which there would be no opera on the Met stage—and educational programs. The Support the Met Broadcasts Campaign is a special appeal, extending beyond annual membership. Patrons and Members enjoy many benefits and privileges. Because no benefits or privileges of substantial monetary value are accorded for gifts to the Support the Met Broadcasts Campaign, contributions to this special appeal are fully tax-deductible.
I live in Canada. Do I receive any tax benefits as a Canadian citizen for a contribution?
What is the federal tax identification number of the Metropolitan Opera?

Thanks to our Donors!

The Metropolitan Opera is very grateful to all the donors who have made gifts to Support the Met Broadcasts. The Met is honored to acknowledge The Robert K. Johnson Foundation for its sponsorship of the 2023-24 Season.

The Metropolitan Opera remains deeply grateful to the Annenberg Foundation and GRoW @ Annenberg, The Neubauer Family Foundation, and the Vincent A. Stabile Endowment for Broadcast Media for their generous long-term support.

Gifts received as of March 10, 2023

Donor List

Contact Us

Support the Met Broadcasts Campaign
The Metropolitan Opera
Lincoln Center
New York, NY 10023
1.212.870.4181

Disclaimer

Contributions to the Support the Met Broadcasts Campaign do not confer benefits or privileges and are fully tax-deductible. To learn about priority ticketing and other benefits of the Patron and Guild Membership programs, please visit the membership section of this web site.